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Is It Easy To Be Green Yet? Reflecting On The Eagles’ SB59 Season

Giana Pistoria Student Contributor, Drexel University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Drexel chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For many years, it was not easy to be green in Philadelphia. Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles have faced torment from fan bases across the country for the last several decades, and it’s finally our turn to point the finger and laugh. Two Super Bowl rings in seven years, a record-breaking season, a franchise quarterback, and a general manager with the mind of an evil genius; it finally feels good to be green. 

One of my first memories I can recall was of my dad teaching me the Eagles fight song. By age five, I was mocking our New Yorker neighbor; by nine, I was wearing an Eagles headband to school every day; and by twelve, I was hanging the Nick Foles Super Bowl Champion Sports Illustrated cover on my wall. Naturally, when Super Bowl 57 came about, I was thrilled but slightly annoyed. I was only a few months away from moving to Philly, and it had always been a dream of mine to experience a Super Bowl in the city. Championship appearances were rare for us, so I assumed I’d never get to experience something like that while living there. After the loss, I remember my dad telling me they’d win a ring in the five years I spent at Drexel. I assumed he was just trying to make me feel better, and their shameful wild-card exit to the Buccaneers in 2024 didn’t help his case.

As it turns out, a man who has been watching the Eagles religiously since he was five knows a thing or two about the team. A couple of weeks after the Super Bowl, an athletically uninvolved friend said something along the lines of, “It must be nice for your team to be so good.” I then had to explain that historically, the Eagles are very bad. However, in the wake of the last season, it’s worth asking if it’s time for something to change in South Philly. The Birds have seen three Super Bowl appearances in seven years, compared to their prior two appearances in fifty years. Their administration stands out across the NFL, and they have a team of incredible athletes with an unbreakable bond. Is Philadelphia headed for dynasty territory?

Although it’s not typical for Philly to get ahead of themselves, the idea of a dynasty isn’t far-fetched at this point. The Philadelphia Eagles are currently poised in one of the best positions in the NFL for the next several seasons. They are fresh off a title and have contracted a majority of their top players in lucrative long-term deals or rookie deals. They got lucky with rookie deals with standouts Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, both signed until 2027. Offensively, the Birds have locked down MVP Jalen Hurts until the 2028 season with a no-trade clause and recently re-signed the record-breaking Saquon Barkley to a two-year extension to make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Philly’s wide receiver duo of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are signed until 2027 and 2028, which locks down their offensive star four for at least the next two seasons. On top of this, the Eagles are primed for five of the top 100 draft picks in the 2026 draft. 

Of course, we can’t forget the defense that held the returning Super Bowl champions to zero points in three quarters during SBLIX. Superstars like Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson are defensive weapons that are all contracted through ‘27, ‘28, and ‘29. However, it’s debatable that the defensive rookies made the most waves this year. The rookie cornerback duo, comprised of DeJean and Mitchell, are already Philadelphia legends, and linebacker Zack Baun had fans begging for a resign—which he received, for another three years—while Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Nakobe Dean have all secured the respect of fans for their work on the field. While these are all exceptional athletes, the team’s new defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, has also demonstrated defensive excellence. Fangio had the team back to study film four days after the Super Bowl, and despite holding the Chiefs to 0 points in the first half with six sacks throughout the game, Fangio described their performance in the second half as “unacceptable.”

It is clear that the Eagles have formed some sort of super-team between their coaching staff, front office, and the players themselves. Between Barkley’s record-breaking season and DeJean’s birthday Super Bowl pick six, the Eagles are writing somewhat of a fairytale for their fans, who definitely deserve it. After the Super Bowl, Nike released an ad backed with Kermit the Frog’s “Bein’ Green” to represent the team’s struggles and eventual success. As the song states, it’s not easy being green, which it certainly never has been for Philly. But if there ever was an Eagles team that could flip the script, it would be this one.

Hi, I'm Giana! I'm a communications major at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. I'm from the Lehigh Valley, PA, and have loved to write since I was very young. I like to write about music, social issues, and sports. In my free time, I love to listen to music, take photos, hang out with my friends, and read. I am super excited to be part of the Her Campus team!